Ella performs on Show 420.

Ella Saputra (violin), 17, hails from Schaumburg, Illinois. She is a senior at James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and a fellow of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a program dedicated to the development of young musicians of under-represented ethnic groups in classical music. She currently studies with Desiree Ruhstrat. Ella has received prizes and awards from Delta Symphony Orchestra, Dexter Community Orchestra, Fox Valley Orchestra, DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Robert Stanger Young Artist Concerto Audition, Walgreens Concerto Competition, IL ASTA, Society of American Musicians, and Sejong Music Competition. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with Delta Symphony Orchestra, twice with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago (having won the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers in 2018 and 2022), twice with ensembles of Midwest Young Artist Conservatory (having won the Grand Prize of the Junior and Senior division of the MYAC Walgreens Concerto Competition in 2017 and 2019 respectively), and with the Chicago Arts Orchestra. Ella is also scheduled to appear as concerto soloist with Dexter Community Orchestra in December 2022, and Fox Valley Orchestra in January 2023. An avid chamber musician, Ella and her chamber ensemble were the Overall Winner of Chicago National Chamber Competition 2022 and 1st prize winner of Rembrandt Young Artist Chamber Music Competition 2022. She has also been a finalist of the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition (2020 and 2021), and semifinalist of the Fischoff National Chamber Competition (2022). Ella has also been featured multiple times on WFMT 98.7 FM’s Introductions, both as a chamber instrumentalist as well as a solo recitalist, and was invited to perform in WFMT’s 70th Anniversary Day of Celebration. She was also chosen to join the 2022 national cohort of Colburn School’s Fortissima, an artistic and leadership development program for promising young women from under-represented minorities in classical music.